Latest news with #Frontex
News24
3 hours ago
- News24
Greece's Gavdos island a new entry point as over 400 asylum seekers land
Over 400 asylum seekers have landed at the small island of Gavdos near Crete, a new entry point increasingly used by migrant smugglers in past months, the Greek coastguard said on Friday. The asylum seekers arrived in separate groups over the last 24 hours, with the largest including over 350 people off Gavdos, the coastguard told AFP. The migrants' fishing boat was detected by a European Union (EU) border agency Frontex vessel on Thursday. A Greek coastguard vessel and four nearby cargo ships participated in the rescue operation. The asylum seekers are to be transferred to a temporary reception centre in Paleochora in Crete for registration and identification. On Thursday morning, another group of about 40 migrants was spotted on a coast of Gavdos by the coastguard. They were also transferred to the camp in Crete, according to an official statement. No details have been released so far regarding the migrants' nationalities. Located at the external borders of the EU in the southeastern Mediterranean, Greece is one of the main gateways to Europe for people fleeing war and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. According to UN figures, over 14 000 people have arrived by sea this year, compared to over 54 000 in 2024.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Over 600 migrants rescued from two fishing boats off southern Greece
More than 600 migrants were rescued overnight and into Friday morning from two overcrowded wooden fishing vessels found adrift off the southernmost part of Greece, the Greek coast guard has said. The first vessel, carrying 352 people, was located around 55 kilometres (35 miles) south of Gavdos, a small Greek island. The passengers were rescued by a vessel from the EU's border agency Frontex, supported by a coast guard patrol boat and four additional ships. A further 278 people were discovered on a second boat approximately 90 kilometres (60 miles) south of Crete. Those aboard were transferred onto a passing Portuguese-flagged cargo ship. In both instances, the migrants were taken to Crete for processing. The authorities have not yet disclosed the nationalities of the rescued individuals. Two additional migrant boats were located in the same parts of the Mediterranean on Thursday. One was discovered carrying 73 men south of Gavdos, while the other, found near Crete's southern coast, had 26 people on board, including a woman and three children. Passengers from the smaller of these two vessels said they had departed from Tobruk, Libya, the night before, each reportedly paying smugglers €4,000 for the perilous journey, according to the Greek coast guard. Two Sudanese teenagers, aged 16 and 19, were arrested on suspicion of migrant trafficking after passengers identified them as the boat's operators. Greece continues to be a key entry point to the EU for people escaping conflict and hardship in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Arrivals surged last year, with over 60,000 migrants landing in Greece — the majority by sea — compared to around 48,000 in 2023, according to UN refugee agency data. By mid-June 2025, Greece had recorded 16,290 arrivals, over 14,600 of which were by sea. With Greek authorities stepping up patrols along the eastern maritime border with Turkey, traffickers appear to be increasingly choosing the longer and more dangerous route across the Mediterranean from North Africa, using larger boats capable of carrying more people. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday announced the use of a super-heavy Sejil missile as part of what it said was the 12th wave of strikes on Israel. Despite its frequent appearance in the Tehran regime's military parades since it was reportedly brought into service in 2012, the Sejil missile's launch against Israel marks the first time one of its prized assets was used in direct confrontation. Its real-world application also reveals a shift in gears in Tehran's deterrence calculations and response. The Sejil, or "Brimstone", is classified as a surface-to-surface ballistic missile and was developed entirely inside Iran by the Ministry of Defence-run Aerospace Industries Organisation. Although some reports claimed that Tehran used similar Chinese-made missiles as a technical basis for the Sejil, its size and other features suggest it is entirely designed and produced in Iran. The missile, developed to replace the Shabab class of rockets in service since the late 1980s, has a range of about 2,000 kilometres and uses solid fuel as propellant, making it quicker to launch compared to liquid-fueled equivalents. The Sejil is manoeuvrable in all stages of flight, making it difficult to intercept by conventional air defence systems. Although details on its speed are unclear, Tehran reportedly stated that it is capable of reaching Tel Aviv in approximately seven minutes if launched from central Iran. In terms of technical specifications, reports say it measures 25 metres in length, 1.25 metres in diameter, and weighs approximately 2.3 metric tonnes. It can carry warheads weighing up to 700 kilograms and is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The Sejil first appeared in a field test in 2008, before its improved version, the Sejil-2, was developed in 2009. In this version, the warhead design was modified, and guidance wings were added to enhance accuracy. However, some reports claim that Sejil-2 might not be a separate model, but rather a test name for the same rocket. Yet footage from 2021 military exercises featuring the Sejil shows updates to earlier missiles of the same model have been made, notably to its jet vanes. Furthermore, rumours of another updated model, the Sejil-3, say that a more modern version was developed with a maximum range of 4,000 kilometres, meaning that in theory it could almost reach Brussels from Tehran. Israeli authorities said on Thursday that the Sejil was successfully intercepted, with debris causing damage to a vehicle.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Greek coast guard says over 600 migrants rescued from 2 fishing boats
Frontex, foreground, and Greek coast guard vessels take part in a search and rescue operation off the coast on the northeastern Aegean Sea island of Lesbos, Greece, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Panagiotis Balaskas) ATHENS, Greece — More than 600 migrants were rescued overnight and early Friday from two wooden fishing boats found sailing kilometers from the southernmost part of Greece, the country's coast guard said. The first fishing boat, carrying 352 people, was spotted overnight about 30 nautical miles (35 miles, 55 kilometres) south of the tiny island of Gavdos, the coast guard said. Passengers were rescued by a ship from the European border patrol agency FRONTEX, aided by a coast guard patrol boat and four other vessels. The second was found 50 nautical miles (about 60 miles, 90 kilometres) south of the island of Crete with 278 people on board. The passengers were picked up by a passing Portuguese-flagged cargo ship. In both cases, the migrants were transported to Crete. There was no immediate information on the nationalities of those on board the two fishing boats. Another two boats carrying migrants were located in the same area on Thursday, the coast guard said. One, carrying 73 men, was found south of Gavdos and another with 26 people, including one woman and three minors, was found near the coast of southern Crete. The coast guard said those on the smaller boat told authorities they had set sail the previous evening from Tobruk in Libya, and had each paid smugglers either 4,000 euros (US$5,500) for their passage to Greece. Two Sudanese teenagers, one aged 16 and the other 19, were arrested on suspicion of migrant smuggling after other passengers identified them as having been operating the boat. Greece has been on one of the preferred routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia for decades. Arrivals from neighboring Turkey to the east and the Libyan coast to the south spiked last year, with Greece recording more than 60,000 people arriving — the vast majority by sea — in 2024, compared to just over 48,000 the previous year, according to figures from the U.N. refugee agency. As of June 15 this year, a total of 16,290 arrivals were recorded, with more than 14,600 of those by sea. With authorities closely patrolling the eastern sea border with Turkey to prevent migrant boats reaching nearby Greek islands, smugglers appear to be increasingly opting for the much longer and riskier Mediterranean Sea crossing from the north African coast to the southern tip of Greece, using larger boats into which they can cram more people. ___ Elena Becatoros, The Associated Press
Al Arabiya
6 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Over 400 asylum seekers on Greece's Gavdos island: Coastguard
Over 400 asylum seekers have landed at the small island of Gavdos near Crete, a new entry point increasingly used by migrant smugglers in past months, the Greek coastguard said Friday. The asylum seekers arrived in separate groups over the last 24 hours, with the largest including over 350 people off Gavdos, the coastguard told AFP. The migrants' fishing boat was detected by an EU border agency Frontex vessel on Thursday. A Greek coastguard vessel and four nearby cargo ships participated in the rescue operation. The asylum seekers are to be transferred to a temporary reception center in Paleochora in Crete for registration and identification. On Thursday morning, another group of about 40 migrants was spotted on a coast of Gavdos by the coastguard. They were also transferred to the camp in Crete, according to an official statement. No details have been released so far regarding the migrants' nationalities. Located at the external borders of the EU in the southeastern Mediterranean, Greece is one of the main gateways to Europe for people fleeing war and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. According to UN figures, over 14,000 people have arrived by sea this year, compared to over 54,000 in 2024.
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Meloni trumpets plan to boost African economies at EU summit
ROME: Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni on Friday will host European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Rome for a summit aimed at boosting African economies in a bid to curb illegal migration to the bloc. Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party has prioritised cutting irregular immigration, has launched a 5.5-billion-euro ($6.3-billion) plan targeting 14 countries including Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Senegal to support industries from energy to health care. Irregular border crossings detected into the European Union stood at 239,000 last year, down 38 percent from an almost 10-year peak in 2023, according to European border agency Frontex. Meloni's plan aims to strengthen trade relations between Italy and African nations in the energy sector particularly, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced Rome to seek new supplies of oil and gas. Rome also wants a stake in financing a railway line between Zambia and Angola, and is planning a 65-million-euro investment in biofuel production in Kenya. Kenyan President William Ruto has praised the plan as 'ambitious', but noted 'that investment alone is not enough' and African economies continue to be burdened by debt. African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat has also warned that the continent 'cannot rely solely on promises that are often broken'. Experts say that Italy has 'promised too much' by implying that these investments could reduce the number of migrants by creating jobs and growth. 'The funding that Italy can provide is not at the right scale,' Giovanni Carbone, head of the University of Milan's Africa programme, told AFP. The plan serves to benefit the interests of 'large companies in the Italian fossil fuel industry', said Simone Ogno from the NGO ReCommon. Italy's PM Meloni says not the right time yet for EU-US summit Major Italian companies are already involved in the plan, including oil giant Eni, electricity carrier Terna and agro-industrial group Bonifiche Ferraresi. Undocumented migration via the Central Mediterranean route – between North Africa and Italy – saw around 67,000 migrant arrivals in 2024, Frontex said, down 59 percent from the year prior.
